Factfinding Bargaining Update + Town Halls and Strike Ready School Workshops

CFA members express unwavering support for our union siblings and writers of the Writers Guild of America, who recently reached an incredible deal after refusing to let their bosses exploit them. This momentous occasion is worth celebrating, and we congratulate them on their perseverance and commitment to improving working conditions and equitable pay for their writers.

Our own contract re-opener bargaining with CSU management continues as we enter the next step in our fight for a fair and reasonable contract: factfinding. This is a necessary part of the statutory process that brings us closer to taking job actions.

A factfinding panel has been approved by both the CFA Bargaining Team and CSU management. And just as has been in the past, we accepted all dates and times that were given to us. We understand the need to move swiftly but thoroughly to ensure that faculty get the rights and recognition they deserve.

To that end, we have secured several meeting dates in October with the factfinding panel and CSU management to present our data and arguments.

Many faculty and allies may be wondering why we are not on strike already. As a reminder, per Article 9 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, we legally cannot yet engage in a strike or concerted work action “that would interfere with or adversely affect the operation or the mission of the CSU.” We are required by law to complete the statutory process, which includes factfinding, before faculty can go on a strike.

In tandem with our efforts to secure a fair contract, members on their respective campuses have taken a variety of steps to show their support for our transformative bargaining proposals.

Bargaining town hall meetings are being held on multiple campuses to ensure that members are updated on the latest in bargaining and have their questions answered.

“The town halls have had great turnout and excellent engagement. We’ve already got eight more town hall meetings planned all the way through the middle of October. There’s been a lot of great work following up with members and getting more of them involved,” said Sharon Elise, the CFA associate vice president, Racial and Social justice, South, and CSU San Marcos professor.

Any faculty member who is on a temporary contract, such as a lecturer, librarian, counselor, or coach, is encouraged to attend this evening’s All Lecturer Bargaining Town Hall taking place from 7 to 8 p.m. Click here to register.

Additionally, there will be two statewide Strike Ready School workshops on October 12 and 19 that will provide a framework for union activism. Each session will cover different aspects of organizing.

The first Strike Ready School workshop, titled “How We Win,” will cover current contract demands, CSU’s manufactured austerity messaging, and how we can push back and become strike ready.

The second workshop, titled “Organizing 101,” aims to train CFA members on having meaningful conversations with their colleagues about the campaign.

To register for one or both of these workshops, click this link.

This reopener contract is for all of us and applies to all of us – coaches, counselors, lecturers, librarians, and tenure-line faculty. Our members are hard at work organizing to secure a brighter future for higher education. We will continue our fight for better working conditions for our faculty and staff, and better conditions for our students’ learning and development.

In addition to attending the town hall meetings and Strike Ready School workshops, members can show their support by filling out commitment cards through Friday.